In my last post I mentioned I had one more bike lock/cable to get open. I found the one pictured below on the streets of Springfield, locked. It is reprogrammable with any one of 10,000 possible combinations. So I set to work trying to open it by starting with the first possible combination of 0-0-0-0 and going to 9-9-9-9. No luck. So I tried it again. The same failure. I went online and watched videos about how to lock pick. I didn’t have the right tools…. I put it out in the garage and told Jan I would cut the lock off some day and at least get a good cable out of the deal.

A couple of weeks later I was working on the Christmas Luminaries that we put out Christmas Eve. I took a glance at the lock and it was as you see below. Open. I thought for a second, “Did I get that open and not remember?” No. I failed. Twice. But there it was. I removed the open lock from the cable. I now had a usable cable! The lock combination was at 0-0-0-0. I said, “Hoover, you have nothing to loose” and locked it. I pulled on it and it opened up! I have no explanation. Weeks before I had twice tried that combination to no avail. Now, just hanging in the garage, set to 0-0-0-0, it fell open. If the combination had been different, it would still be locked. I reprogrammed it and it is now usable once more.

Please don’t ask as I have no idea what to say.

I mentioned the luminaries. This is a project I look forward to each year. I remelt wax and cast new votive candles.

Pieces of wax and melting pot on the left. Candle forms on the right

Jan and whoever of the family is present helps me set them out after sundown. This year we were on our own. Sarah and her boyfriend were in Ecuador for a few months. Sam and Family stayed in Colorado Springs. In fact, we left to visit them the morning of 26 December.

Representative of the Star of Bethlehem that gave guidance to the three wise men.

We arrived in the Springs the evening of the 26th. Cora’s second birthday was the next day! They now live in a house and I do not miss the 39 steps up [and down] to their old third floor condo anymore!!!

Jan with Cora, Max, and Evie.

Sam and Katie got a cat for the family while we were there. I noticed this cat food while we were out getting supplies.

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About rlhoover

A perspective on life and cycling in the Ozarks. I started serious cycling in 2008, after seeing my wife be on the bike for a few years. We have biked many places and hope to continue. I am no where near being a real good cyclist, but I have fun trying to improve. Who am I kidding? Me? Improve??

11 Responses to Here and there, this and that

With regard to the cat food, advertisers long ago discovered that people will swallow any old nonsense so it didn’t come as a surprise to me. Good to see that you have supernatural lock picking skills.

In an earlier life I might have done that. But now, we are at the place where we are even thinking of giving Jan’s road bike to our son, Sam. He would probably get more use out of it than Jan can right now.

Hi, Ron. Thanks for sharing your life in or about the garage! And the pictures are great. Some things are just not explainable, like the unlockable lock which did it on its own, which makes life more interesting most of the time. Love, Mom